Cigarette lighter



June 7 1927. 1,631,514

7 D. s. BRUSH ET AL CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed Nov. 26. 1926 i i-E5 b 5 INVENBgR Patented June 7, 1927.

warren s'rarss F ATEN ICE DOROTHY SNOW BRUSH AND ABBOTT P. BRUSH, OF GREENVJICH, CONNECTICUT.

CIGARETTE LIGHTER.

Application filed November 26, 1926. Serial No. 150,874.

The present invention is a cigarette lighter for use in automobiles and other vehicles. The jarring movements of such vehicles frequently cause the lighters. as now constructed to brea and spoil the (ri irettes as they are being lighted.

' The objects of this invention are to overcome this common fault of the present lighters and to provide. a siu'iple, practical form of device v3 iich will light the cigarette without injuring the same. despite the jarring,bumping or swaying of the vehicle. are atrzi .ed in part by These ob ects I mounting the lighter elementwhich s engaged by the cigarette rev' i... .nlq; floated relation so that in use it may yield instantly to the cigarette mid-er pressure less than that which would breal; or injure the cigarette.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of thisspecitication one practical embodiment of the invention illustrated. but it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in various forms of structure withoutdeparture from the true and intended scope of the invention as expressed in the following specification and claims.

Figure l in the drawin is a. general view, illustrating the use of the lighter, the casing of'the device being shown partly broken away to illustrate the action.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the lighter.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view of the device on line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure L is a sectional view of a slight modification. Figure 5 is a detached detail view of the cord grip disc.

The lighter element is shown as a disc or body 3 of insulating material, such lava carrying an exposed resistance wire or rib bon l.

In the illustration this element is loosely guided in a casing 5 which forms both a protective sheath and part of a handle for the use of the device.

The lighter element is resiliently supported in the present disclosure by a light spiral spring 6 operating freely in the casing and engaging an annular groove or shoulder 7 in the back of the lava.

The outward movement of the lavatip is governed in the present illustration by a flange 8 turned inwardly atthe outer end i ii [2.

of the casing and the spring is supported at the back by an insulating base shown in he rear end lhis base is shown as carrying terminals 11 inside the case 'for the wires of the cable 12 which carry the our .rent to the lighter, said terminals being of a type to hold the wires securely and to enable the. cable who pulled out as-far as needed. without possibility of loosening or interrupting the electrical connections.

The current is led to the lighter head by connections of a flexible or resilient nature, capable carrying the necessary amount I of current and at the same time sutliciently yielding to accommodate the free floating n'iovements of the head. These connections are shown as two spring wires 13 projecting inwardly-from the terminals on the base slidinglv engaged y spring brushes 14 projecting trom the back of the: head and hav ing grooved or recessed end portions 15 slidingly engaged about/the wiresor rods 13. This construction affordsa freev moving telescopic form of connection.capable of carrying the current andv adapted to guide the head without materially retarding the in and out moven'ients of i the same. The sliding of the brushes over the contact posts keeps the contact surfaces clean and adapted to carry the current without arcing or a-ppreciable' resistance.

ll ith this invention it will be seen that the n'ealzingor injury of cigarettes in the course of lighting is entirely avoided because the lighter head will automatically accommodate itself to the varying move ments of the person holding the lighter and that no care is necessary in placing the lighter against the cigarette as the lighter will immediately yield to the cigarette, even though forcibly applied thereto.

The switch for controlling the lighting circuit may be carried by the lighter. be interposed at some point in the cord or be mounted in the reel on which the cord is ordinarily wound, but this circuit controlling switch is mechanically independent of the lighter head because the circuit to the lighter head is complete independently of the varying movements or the varying pressure on the lighter head. The lighter head is protected in its floating movements by its mounting in the casing, which latter acts lOO also as a guard protecting the user from contact with the heater element and as a shield for warding oil the wind.

The range of free resiliency ot' the lighter head may be an inch or more or even approximating the length of the cigarette and the head yields readily to the cigarette within such range of yieldability so that injury to the cigarette is practically impossible, even though not presented squarely to the face of the lighter.

Figure 4 shows how the structure may be modified to use the wires of the cable also as the flexible connections to the lava tip. In such a case the cord is clamped at the base of the device in a suitable cord grip 16 and for the sake of increased flexibility, the wires are separated inside the case and extend separately to the two terminals at the back of the heating element.

The cord grip is shown as a flat disc overlying a knot tied in the wires at the inside of the base and having lugs 17 projecting through slots 18 in the annular wall 19 into position for engagement by the end of the spring 6. This annular wall forms aguide over which the end coils of the spring are slipped and also provides inside it a pocket for the cord grip disc which may fit relatively closely therein, it being notched at 20 at diametrically opposite points for the separated Wires of the cable.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A cigarette lighter comprising an electric lighter head, a casing in which said head is freely movable, means for resiliently supporting said head in the casing with a sutfiient range of movement and sufliciently yicldable within said range to prevent the breaking of a ci arette held against said head and means for completing the circuit to said head in all positions throughout its range of yieldabilitv.

2. A cigarette lighter comprising an electric heater element, a holder for the same,

means for yieldingly supporting said element on said holder with a range and freedom of movement suflicient to prevent breakage of a cigarette held thercagainst and means for completing the heating circuit to said element throughout its entire range of yield-ability.

23. A cigarette lighter comprising a tubular casing, an insulating base closing the rear end of said casing, an electric heater element freely movable in said casing, spring means between the base and head for sup porting the head in lightly yield-able relation within the casing and means freely yieldable to the movements of said head for completing the heating circuit thereto throughout the range of its yieldability.

4. A cigarette lighter comprising a tubu' lar casing, an insulating base closing the rear end of said casing, an electric heater element freely movable in said casing, spring means between the base and head for supporting the head in lightly yieldable relation within the casing and means freely yieldable to the movements of said head for com leting the heating circuit thereto throug mat the range of its yieldability, the casing having a stop at the forward end of the same limiting the outward movement of the lighter head and means for detachably securing the base in the rear end of the easing with the head positioned to engage the stop.

5. A cigarette lighter comprising a casing, a cord grip in said casing, a lighter element resiliently supported in said casing and a flexible cord entered in said casing, said cord having a portion of the same held in said cord grip and having separated flexible wires extending from the cord grip to the lighter element.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 23rd day of November, 1026.

DOROTHY SNOlV BRUSH. ABBOTT P. BRUSH. 

